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Overview

With the acclaimed Temeraire novels, New York Times bestselling author Naomi Novik has created a fantasy series like no other, combining the high-flying appeal of Anne McCaffrey’s Pern saga and the swashbuckling derring-do of Patrick O’Brian’s historical seafaring adventures. Now, with League of Dragons, Novik brings the imaginative tour de force that has captivated millions to an unforgettable finish.

Napoleon’s invasion of Russia has been roundly thwarted. But even as Capt. William Laurence and the dragon Temeraire pursue the retreating enemy through an unforgiving winter, Napoleon is raising a new force, and he’ll soon have enough men and dragons to resume the offensive. While the emperor regroups, the allies have an opportunity to strike first and defeat him once and for all—if internal struggles and petty squabbles don’t tear them apart.

Aware of his weakened position, Napoleon has promised the dragons of every country—and the ferals, loyal only to themselves—vast new rights and powers if they fight under his banner. It is an offer eagerly embraced from Asia to Africa—and even by England, whose dragons have long rankled at their disrespectful treatment.

But Laurence and his faithful dragon soon discover that the wily Napoleon has one more gambit at the ready—one that that may win him the war, and the world.

Praise for League of Dragons

“Novik has accomplished something singular with her Temeraire series. It’s long. It’s sumptuous. . . . It’s a story about friendship that transcends not only time and class, but species. . . . League of Dragons masterfully wraps up so many plot threads and loose ends that had built up throughout the previous eight books [but] Novik never forgets that, as complex as her ideas and plot may get, the very simple notions of friendship and loyalty lie at the heart of the series.”—NPR

“Thrilling scenes of aerial combat are interspersed with detailed character work, moral complexities, and political maneuvering. Novik expertly balances a myriad of plotlines and characters and offers an extremely satisfying resolution.”—Booklist (starred review)

“This thrilling installment is packed with action and excitement, drawing the series to a delightful and satisfying close with plenty of twists, misadventures, and aerial combat along the way.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Novik’s fans won’t be disappointed.”—Library Journal

“League of Dragons is an ending to the series, it is a definitive one, and it is a satisfying one. Go read it.”—Tordotcom

Product Details

About the Author

Naomi Novik is the acclaimed author of the Temeraire series: His Majesty’s Dragon, Throne of Jade, Black Powder War, Empire of Ivory,Victory of Eagles, Tongues of Serpents, Crucible of Gold, Blood of Tyrants, and League of Dragons. She has been nominated for the Hugo Award and has won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, as well as the Locus Award for Best New Writer and the Compton Crook Award for Best First Novel. She is also the author of Uprooted and the graphic novel Will Supervillains Be on the Final? Fascinated with both history and legends, Novik is a first-generation American raised on Polish fairy tales and stories of Baba Yaga. Her own adventures include pillaging degrees in English literature and computer science from various ivory towers, designing computer games, and helping to build the Archive of Our Own for fanfiction and other fanworks. Novik is a co-founder of the Organization for Transformative Works.

She lives in New York City with her husband, Charles Ardai, the founder of Hard Case Crime, and their daughter, Evidence, surrounded by an excessive number of purring computers.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1

The Chevalier was not dead when they found her, but the scavengers had already begun to pick at her body. A cloud of raucous crows lifted when Temeraire’s shadow fell over the clearing, and a stoat slunk away into the underbrush, coat white, muzzle red. As he dismounted, Laurence saw its small hard shining eyes peering patiently out from beneath the bramble. The French dragon’s immense sides were sunken in between her ribs so deeply that each hollow looked like the span of a rope bridge. They swelled out and in with every shallow breath, the movement of her lungs made visible. She did not move her head, but her eye opened a very little. It rolled to look on them, and closed again without any sign of comprehension.

A dead man sat in the snow beside her, leaning against her chest and staring blindly forward, in the ragged remnants of what had once been the proud red uniform of the Old Guard. He wore epaulets and the front of his coat was pockmarked with many punctures where medals had once hung, likely sold to whichever Russian peasants would sell him a pig or a chicken for gold and silver. Flotsam from Napoleon’s disintegrating Grande Armée: the dragon had most likely been driven by hunger to go too far afield, searching for food, and having spent her final strength could not then catch up the remaining body of her corps. She had come down a day ago: the churned ground beneath her was frozen into solid peaks, and her captain’s boots were drifted over with the snow which had fallen yesterday morning.

Laurence looked for the sun, descending and only barely shy of the horizon. Every scant hour of daylight now was precious, even every minute. The last corps of Napoleon’s army were racing west, trying to escape, and Napoleon himself with them. If they did not catch him before the Berezina River, they would not catch him; he had reinforcements and supply on the other side—dragon reinforcements, who would spirit him and his troops safely away. And all this devouring war would have no conclusion, no end. Napoleon would return only a little chastened to the welcoming cradle of France and raise up another army, and in two years there would be another campaign—another slaughter.

Another laboring breath pushed out the Chevalier’s sides; breath steamed out of her nostrils, billowing like cannon-smoke in the frigid air. Temeraire said, “Can we do nothing for her?”

“Let us lay a small fire, Mr. Forthing, if you please,” Laurence said.

But the Chevalier would not take even water, when they melted some snow for her to drink. She was too far gone; if indeed she wished any relief with her captain gone and a living death already upon her.

There was only one kindness left to provide. They could not spare powder, but they still had a few iron tent-poles with sharpened ends. Laurence rested one against the base of the dragon’s skull, and Temeraire set his massive claw upon it and thrust it through with a single stroke. The Chevalier died without a sound. Her sides rose and fell twice more while the final stillness crept slowly along her enormous body, spasms of muscle and sinew visible beneath the skin. A few of the ground crew stamped their boots and blew on their hands. The snow heavy upon the pine-trees standing around them made a muffled silence.

“We had better get along,” Grig said, before the final shudders had left the Chevalier’s tail; a faint note of reproach in his high sparrow-voice. “It is another five miles to the meeting-place for to-night.”

He alone of their company was little affected by the scene, but then the Russian dragons had cause enough to be inured to cruelty and hunger, having lived with both all their days. And there was no real justification for ignoring him; they had done what little good there was to be done. “See the men back aboard, Mr. Forthing,” Laurence said, and walked to Temeraire’s lowered head. The breath had frozen in a rim around Temeraire’s nostrils while they flew. Laurence warmed the ice crust with his hands and broke it carefully away from the scales. He asked, “Are you ready to continue onwards?”

Temeraire did not immediately answer. He had lost more flesh than Laurence liked these last two weeks, from bitter cold, hard flying, and too little food. Together these could waste the frame of a heavy-weight dragon with terrifying speed, and the Chevalier made a grim object lesson to that end. Laurence could not but take it to heart.

He once more bitterly regretted Shen Shi, and the rest of their supply-train. Laurence had already known to value the Chinese legions highly, but never so much as when they were gone, and all the concerns of ensuring their supply had fallen into his own hands. The Russian aviators had only the most outdated notions of supply for their beasts, and Temeraire, with all the will in the world, had too much spirit to believe that he could not fly around the world on three chickens and a sack of groats if doing so would put him in striking distance of Napoleon again.

“I am so very sorry Shen Shi and the others had to go back to China,” Temeraire said finally, in an echo of Laurence’s thoughts. “If we were only traveling in company, perhaps . . .”

He trailed off. Even the most relentless optimism could not have imagined a rescue for the poor Chevalier: three heavy-weights together would have had difficulty in carrying her. “At least we might have given her some hot porridge,” Temeraire said.

“If it is any consolation to you,” Laurence said, “remember she came into this country as a conqueror, and willingly.”

“Oh! What would the dragons of France not do for Napoleon?” Temeraire said. “When you know how much he has given them, and how he has changed their lot: built them pavilions and roads through all Europe, and given them their rights? You cannot blame her, Laurence; you cannot blame any of them.”

“Then at least you may blame him,” Laurence said, “for trading so far on that loyalty to bring her and her fellows into this country in a vain and unjustified attempt at conquest. It was never in your power to prevent her coming, or to rescue her. Only her master might have done so.”

“I do,” Temeraire said. “I do blame him, and Laurence, it would be beyond everything, if he should escape us now.” He heaved a deep breath, and raised his head again. “I am ready to go.”

The men were already aboard; Temeraire lifted Laurence to his place at the base of his neck, and with a spring not as energetic as Laurence would have liked, they were aloft again. Beneath them, the stoat crept out of its hiding-place and went back to its feasting.

The ferocious wind managed to come as a surprise again, even after so short a break in their flying. The last warmth of autumn had lingered late into November, but the Russian winter had come with a true vengeance now, more than justifying all the dire warnings which Laurence had heard before its advent, and to-day the temperature had fallen further still. He was used to biting cold upon the deck of a racing frigate or aloft upon a dragon’s back in winter, but no experience had prepared him to endure this chill. Leather and wool and fur could not keep it out. Frost gathered thickly on his eyelashes and brows before he could even put his flying-goggles back on; when at last he secured them, the ice melted and ran down the insides of the green glass, leaving trails across his sight like rain.

The ground crew traveling in the belly-netting, shielded better from the wind, might huddle together and make a shared warmth; he had given his scant handful of officers permission to sit together in twos and threes. He could permit himself no such comfort. Tharkay had left them two weeks before, on his way to answer an urgent call to Istanbul; there was no-one else whom Laurence might sit with, without awkwardness—Ferris could not be asked without reflection on Forthing, and equally the reverse; and he could not ask them both, when they might at any moment be attacked. They had to be spread wider than that across Temeraire’s back.

He endured the cold as best he could beneath wrappings of oilcloth and a patchwork fur made of rabbit- and weasel-skins, keeping his fingers tucked beneath his arm-pits and his legs folded. Still the chill crept inexorably throughout his limbs, and when his fingers reached a dangerous numbness and ceased to give him pain, he forced himself to stand up in his straps. He carefully unlatched one carabiner, working slowly with thick gloves and numbed hands, and hooked it to a further ring; he then undid the second, and made his way along the harness hand-over-hand to the limits of the first strap before latching back on.

Editorial Reviews

★ 04/11/2016Novik’s ninth draconic alternate history of the Napoleonic wars concludes the series with a bang. It opens where 2013’s Blood of Tyrants left off, with Napoleon’s staggering losses in the Russian winter of 1813. The allied forces are demoralized by Napoleon’s escape back to France, but nothing could have provoked the English dragon Temeraire more than the news that his egg has been stolen from China—where it was left in trust—and may well be destroyed by his grave enemy, the Chinese celestial dragon Lien. Only once the safety of his egg is assured will Temeraire turn his keen intelligence and unique perception to the problem of Napoleon’s regrouping forces, and to thwarting a scheme to turn the feral dragons of the continent against the allies. This thrilling installment is packed with action and excitement, drawing the series to a delightful and satisfying close with plenty of twists, misadventures, and aerial combat along the way. Agent: Cynthia Manson, Cynthia Manson Literary. (June)

Publishers Weekly

A satisfying conclusion to a remarkable series.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Concludes with appropriate fanfare . . . Thrilling scenes of aerial combat are interspersed with detailed character work, moral complexities, and political maneuvering. Novik expertly balances a myriad of plotlines and characters and offers an extremely satisfying resolution.”—Booklist (starred review) “This thrilling installment is packed with action and excitement, drawing the series to a delightful and satisfying close with plenty of twists, misadventures, and aerial combat along the way. . . . Concludes the series with a bang.”—Publishers Weekly (starred, boxed review)

“Novik’s fans won’t be disappointed.”—Library Journal “Novik has accomplished something singular with her Temeraire series. It’s long. It’s sumptuous. . . . It’s a story about friendship that transcends not only time and class, but species. . . . League of Dragons masterfully wraps up so many plot threads and loose ends that had built up throughout the previous eight books [but] Novik never forgets that, as complex as her ideas and plot may get, the very simple notions of friendship and loyalty lie at the heart of the series.”—NPR

“League of Dragons sticks the landing. . . . And the book also has an abundance of the things that I love about the series: deep and inventive worldbuilding; fabulous action scenes; so many complex characters and relationships that have been built up over the series; humor (I literally laughed out loud multiple times); and the general project of taking the nineteenth century and making it better. . . . League of Dragons is an ending to the series, it is a definitive one, and it is a satisfying one. Go read it.”—Tordotcom

“A satisfactory sendoff to one of the most thrilling and immersive fantasy series on today’s shelves . . . Novik packs in plenty of what made this series a hit in the first place, particularly acutely imagined battle scenes, high-stakes decisions and snappy dialogue from those delightful dragons, who have as much or more intelligence as humans, coupled with the innocent self-interest of the average cat.”—Shelf AwarenessPraise for Naomi Novik and her Novels of Temeraire

“Novik’s influences run the gamut from Jane Austen to Patrick O’Brian, with a side trip through Anne McCaffrey. Her books are completely involving and probably addictive, their central conceit explored in clever detail with a great deal of wit and historical insight.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“These are beautifully written novels: not only fresh, original, and fast-paced, but full of wonderful characters with real heart.”—Peter Jackson

“A gripping adventure full of rich detail and the impossible wonder of gilded fantasy.”—Entertainment Weekly

“A new writer is soaring on the wings of a dragon.”—The New York Times

“A glorious series whose future status as a genre classic is now assured.”—SF Reviews

“If you’ve never read these novels, now is the time to start.”—io9 “Enthralling reading.”—Time

From the Publisher

05/15/2016Although Napoleon's invasion of Russia has been checked, low supplies and roaming feral dragons mean a bitter victory for Captain Laurence, dragon Temeraire, and their allies. Chasing the French armies west, Laurence and Temeraire fail to capture Napoleon as he returns to Paris. Worse news arrives: the French have stolen Temeraire and Iskierka's egg from China. Still dealing with the aftermath of Laurence's treasonous actions (giving the cure for a draconic illness to the French), it is an uphill battle as Laurence and Temeraire fight for their country, their lives, and finally to stop Napoleon. VERDICT This series finale would not be complete without visits from familiar figures from previous books (Her Majesty's Dragon; Blood of Tyrants) and plenty of battle scenes. Novik's fans won't be disappointed.—KC

Library Journal

★ 2016-03-30Ninth, and last, of the Temeraire historical fantasy series (Blood of Tyrants, 2013, etc.), reimagining the Napoleonic Wars in a world where humans coexist with intelligent dragons. Napoleon's invasion of Russia has been foiled. Following his adventures in the Far East, Capt. William Laurence and his dragon partner, Temeraire, assist the Russian forces to harry the retreating French—but Napoleon escapes to Paris, where he plots a counterstroke. While raising new human armies, he promulgates a remarkable political document granting any dragons that will fight for him—including the ferals who owe allegiance to no government—autonomous territories and humane treatment. This offer proves a powerful enticement, especially to dragons from Russia (historically treated with great cruelty) and Britain (where attitudes range from callous indifference to outright hostility). Even worse, from Laurence's viewpoint, Napoleon has stolen the egg of Temeraire (whose weapon is the Divine Wind, a rock-shattering roar) and Iskierka, his fire-breathing mate, knowing that the egg is enormously precious to them and that they will go to any lengths to recover it. So it should be a simple matter to lure Laurence and the dragons into a trap. One of the great pleasures of this long, sometimes uneven, but always fascinating series is the way Novik meticulously and patiently accumulates details of the various types of dragon, each having its particular aspect, talents, and behaviors, and the spectrum of attitudes humans hold toward them. Though employing a modern vocabulary, the early-19th-century writing style precisely captures the rhythms, manners, and sensibilities of the period. The action prose is vivid and immediate, especially when adopting a dragon's perspective. You feel that, given the existence of dragons, the alternate history the author envisions might well have come to pass. Not the finest entry in the sequence, being slow to gather momentum and somewhat patchy, but overall a satisfying conclusion to a remarkable series.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

I wasn't ready for this series to end in 2016 and honestly, I wasn't ready for it to end now either. But the audiobook was available from my library and I wanted closure. I did read the wiki for the previous book to quickly refresh my memory since it'd been so long.
Everything I wanted and expected. I LOVE Temeraire so, so very much. He the social justice warrior of my heart. I wanted to shout "DRAG HIM" when he takes down imperialist BS. My notes are basically shouting about the dragons with lots of exclamation points. But here's the 0ther notes I made between all that:
--Aw, Tem with PTSD. Poor baby :(
---JANE!!!
--The sex scene was adorable TBH.
--Really devastated and sad for it to end, but it was concluded perfectly, brilliantly.
--Jumps between Part 2 & 3, and Part 3 and 4 were discombobulating, especially when I was so used to this series describing each step of the way.
--Dragonling threw me for a loop. Part of me liked her better as an egg, but she's intelligent, cunning, and a good spice up. It's too bad Tem is outshined in the manipulation and maneuvering by the female relatives of his, lol.
--Good job stepping up Lawerance! He's making moves.
--OMG, Tem trying to clean - lol!.
--Tem's rivalry with Lien basically evaporates and was really disappointing.
--If ONE thing changed towards the end, I would've turned coat for Napoleon as well TBH.
--Aww Tharkey.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

She should quit fooling around and write another book

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Great ending!

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

I have read the entire enjoyable series. I will miss Laurence & Tremeraire and secretly hope that Novik will reconsider & bring the characters & their cohorts back sometime in the near future.

reececo331

More than 1 year ago

League of Dragons (Temeraire, #9)
by Naomi Novik
The War has ravaged the world as Napoleon has bled the continent of men and dragons, his failed attempt at taking Britain, his conquest of Europe has lead to a retreat into Russia. Napoleon has turned the feral dragons into a force of confusion and desolation and Temeraire and Laurence have much to do to repair the damage. This is a difficult time in their world, in their friendship and in their mission. Their opinion of the treatment of the dragons in Europe will make their alliances stronger. The greatest challenge is in the birth of Temeraire’s egg.
This is a great step in the series that will make the world change on the turn of a dragon’s wing.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

The series really captures the imagination. This was an excellent end to the series. It felt true to the characters and to the fictional history as well. We are introduced to a few new characters that add realism to this fantastic tale. It was a wonderful read.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

The only reason I am not giving it 5 stars is simply because I am so disappointed to see it end. She ends it without us knowing what precisely lays in store for our main characters, which although still a well rounded ending was also slightly lackluster. I still love the series and with a heart full of hope will wait for future books with Laurence and temeraire

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

This series was a delight to read. Each character terms was well done, dragons included. Many of the dragons had egos larger than Napoleon...and even The Donald. I hope Ms Novik contest to write novels as interesting as those on this series.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Best series ever for lovers of history and fantasy!

Sailon

More than 1 year ago

It is with much sadness and reluctance that I read the last book in Novik’s Temeraire series, League of Dragons. We’ve laughed, cried and been touched by the dragon and his captain and their adventures will surely be missed.
The final push to eliminate Napoleon has lead our heroes to perilous place. They must recover Temeraire’s egg and defeat Napoleon once and for all.
Novik’s writing is vibrant, this dragon filled world jumps off the pages. I can’t help but find myself absorbed into plot.
That being said, I was hoping for more…
After all these years of following these adventures there wasn’t the closure I needed to put this story to rest. And, in an effort to avoid spoiler, I’m going to have to leave it at that.
All in all, this has been a grand adventure that I’m thrilled I took it. I highly recommend this series and League of Dragons to any historical fantasy fan.
I received this ARC copy of League of Dragons from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine - Del Rey in exchange for a honest review.

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